Portable electric generators are widely used during hurricanes, storms and other occasions when conventional power supplies are disrupted. Such generators may be vital for providing the electricity needed to power pumps, refrigerators, air conditioning systems and various other machines and appliances. Portable generators are also commonly used to provide electricity for camping and at other remote locations where standard electric utilities are not available.
Most conventional portable electric generators are powered by a gasoline engine. An ample supply of gasoline must be kept on hand and, during use the fuel tank of the generator must be periodically refilled. A generator used to power major appliances of the home tends to burn fuel quite quickly. Operating the generator for a significant period of time can therefore be quite expensive. This cost has been exacerbated by increasing fuel prices. Constantly refueling the generator and purchasing additional fuel to keep the generator running tends to be time consuming, tedious and sometimes arduous work. If the available supply of gasoline dwindles, such as during an emergency, operating the generator becomes even more problematic. By the same token, maintaining a supply of gasoline large enough to avoid operating interruptions is often impractical and, at a minimum, inconvenient for most individuals and businesses. In addition, for safety reasons, the generator must be allowed to cool before it is re-fueled. This interrupts operation of the generator even longer. If the user does not wait a sufficient time for the generator to cool, adding fuel can present a dangerous risk of explosion and/or fire.
Conventional portable generators also tend to be very large and bulky. The gasoline engine takes up considerable space and adds a great deal of weight to the generator. Such generators are very inconvenient to store, particularly in a small garage or other constricted storage space. The weight and bulk of many generators makes them far from optimally portable. Instead, it is often awkward, difficult and inconvenient to transport such equipment.
Most portable generators are furthermore quite noisy due to operation of the generator's gasoline engine. For this reason and also because of the noxious fumes emitted by the gasoline engine as it operates, most generators are set-up as far away as possible from the living space being serviced by the generator. Even then, the typically loud operation of the engine can be quite annoying and distracting to nearby persons. Noise pollution can be particularly annoying in residential environments.
A number of known devices attempt to convert the rotation of a motor vehicle's wheel into power for operating a generator. However, these known devices exhibit various difficulties. Most of them require the weight of the motor vehicle to rest directly or almost directly upon a roller that is, in turn, driven to operate the generator. This does not allow for optimally smooth and unhindered rotation of the drive roller. In addition, prior motor vehicle powered generators are effective with only a single tire or wheel size. Today, tires for motor vehicles come in a wide range of diameters. In an emergency situation, it is almost mandatory that the generator be able to work with various wheel sizes.
Known motor vehicle driven electric generator devices also tend to be fairly large and unwieldy. Most are permanently installed in a garage or other location. They are not suitable or convenient for use with portable generators and are particularly inappropriate for use at a campsite or other remote location.